Broken Dreams
by TracyM
Summary: When love is stronger than death, what becomes of us? A love story between two Slayers.


"I'll get him for this. I swear to you, I will."

The weather was disgusting for such an event. Had I possessed the power, I would have pulled the clouds and rain in myself to match the feelings within me. Instead, I was forced to watch the sunlight bounce off the tombstone I had bought, sickening me to no end. I guessed it was the best I could do for her. In the end, that piece of marble would be all that would signify our life together. That and my lovely memories.

Tears rushed to my eyes then but I shoved them back. The resilience inside of me that kept just about every emotion in check held this back as well. I felt my sister's hand on my shoulder, something that made me shudder to the touch. She said nothing, knowing it had nothing to do with her. I listened as she walked back to the others and wondered what the rest of them were thinking. It was strange, really. I wouldn't have imagined this for myself. Then again, I hadn't imagined a whole lot for myself. Taking one last look at her grave, I turned to walk back to my family.

_Several Months Earlier…_

"…Buffy?"

I snapped back to sudden attention. Willow was sitting across from me with a questionable look on her face.

"What? Sorry, Will, I was just…"

That was when it happened again. Just past her on the dance floor of The Bronze was this girl. She was our age, that was a sure bet, but there was something different about her. Something about her stood out among the rest of the people on the floor. In that moment, I felt as if we were the only two people in the club. Willow's words fell upon deaf ears once again.

"Buffy!"

I couldn't blame her. She had only been trying to tell me the same thing for the last five minutes. I grinned at her, hoping she would let it pass and bounded past her toward the dance floor. No sooner had I hit my feet did the brunette follow one of the men she was dancing with outside. I couldn't understand that. She was beautiful in her own right and the guy she followed out was…well, to say average was putting it incredibly politely. That's when it hit me. I should have known it all along.

_Vampire_.

I tore from the club then, hoping against all hope that I would make it to the alley behind The Bronze before there was a body outside. Luckily, we were sitting close to the back door and I made it outside within seconds, stake in hand. From the door, I could hear a commotion from the end of the alley.

_No…_

I felt a protection over that girl, something I had never felt before. It was as if we were connected somehow. As I ran down the alley, I silently cursed the heels I was wearing, wishing I had the time to kick them off.

_What the hell?_

The anticipation of a fight wore down fast when I saw something I had never expected. The cute brunette from the club was indeed with the vampire, but she had the upper hand. I had stopped cold the moment I saw her shove him into the side of the building hard enough to cause his knees to buckle and send him to the ground. She seized his shoulders then, picking him up and throwing him against it once more before pulling out a stake of her own and plowing it clear through his chest. My impression overrode my confusion for a moment.

As she wiped the dust of the vampire off her hands, she turned taking notice of me.

"Hey. You must be Buffy."

I just stared at her. The fact that the stake clutched in my right hand must have given me away didn't hit me right away. She walked up to me and looked me up and down.

"You all right?"

I nodded, still a bit stupefied by the whole situation, but nonetheless impressed.

"Well, I'm Faith."

Trying my best to regain my composure, I stuffed my stake deep in my pocket and shook her waiting hand. The look on my face must have been questionable.

"I'm a Slayer, by the way."

"I can see that," I stammered, not knowing what else to say.

The mere presence of her was something I had never experienced. Maybe it was a Slayer thing; I couldn't be sure. Even in the mess of the alley, I could smell a strong scent of strawberries emitting from her skin, a lovely scent that was more comforting than anything I could remember. I couldn't help but bask in her, as crazy as that seemed. She cocked her head at me, those large brown eyes inspecting me.

"You sure you're all right?"

To be honest, I wasn't sure. Everything seemed twisted at that moment. I wasn't even really questioning why there was another Slayer standing before me. That seemed the least important thought in my mind. What made no real sense to me was the sudden desire I had for her, a feeling that seemed to pull me in her direction.

"Yeah. Of course," I lied. "I'm fine."

"Okay," she said with a slight, yet concerned, smile. "You want to go back inside?"

I nodded rather stiffly, trying to sort out my emotions. In all honesty, I wanted to remain outside for a bit longer. We were the only two in the alley. Anyone in their right frame of mind would have understood that what I had just seen couldn't be dealt with in a matter of moments, but as I stood there completely perplexed, I felt it could be. Yet, I nodded again and walked with her back inside as if nothing had happened.


End file.
